Erin Geiger Smith's Avatar

Erin Geiger Smith

@erings

Journalist. Author of Thank You for Voting (adult + kids editions) @thankyouforvoting on Insta.

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13.11.2024
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Latest posts by Erin Geiger Smith @erings

See you at @sxswedu.com!

04.03.2026 19:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This is quite a lot of money.

26.02.2026 15:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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2025โ€™s Most Significant State Constitutional Cases Leading legal thinkers weighed in on the state constitutional rulings our readers should know about from this past year.

What state constitutional case from 2025 should our readers know about, and why?

We asked some of the countryโ€™s leading legal thinkers, and their answers highlight the myriad ways state courts can chart their own jurisprudential courses.

A must read piece to wrap up the year!

18.12.2025 15:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 33 ๐Ÿ” 17 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 9

Love this Q&A by @kendallverhovek.bsky.social

29.10.2025 16:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 12 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Welcome to the final weekday of the federal judiciary being able to fully sustain paid operations during the shutdown. Furloughs likely next week.

17.10.2025 11:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 52 ๐Ÿ” 21 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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17.10.2025 11:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Itasca County woman pleads guilty to voter fraud The 51-year-old admitted to filling out a ballot in the name of her mother, an โ€œavid Donald Trump supporter,โ€ who died before she could vote for him in the 2024 election.

Thereโ€™s the Booker Prize, the Pulitzer โ€ฆ then thereโ€™s your book being used as punishment in a voter fraud case!

A Michigan woman who voted for Trump twice has to read Thank You for Voting as part of her plea deal. www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/i...

17.10.2025 11:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

A good thing for increasing voter turnout for county and town elections.

16.10.2025 20:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I'm very excited about this panel @sxswedu.com! This group has so much to share about how how state constitutions protect and empower young people.

02.10.2025 15:43 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ @lawrencehurley.bsky.social for this important story.

04.09.2025 16:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPickerยฎ is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

Have you voted yet for our @statecourtreport.org SXSW EDU (proposed) panel? We've lined up an all-star group: @lwvus.bsky.social CEO Celina Stewart, @aclu.org's Harper Seldin, and @youthvgov.bsky.social's Julia Olson. But we need your vote! THANK YOU FOR VOTING! participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

12.08.2025 15:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 12 ๐Ÿ” 8 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein Discusses Disability Rights Bernstein, the courtโ€™s first blind justice, travels the world promoting access and equality for disabled people.

ICYMI: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein spoke with @statecourtreport.org's @erings.bsky.social about disability rights and his experience as the court's first blind justice. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

28.07.2025 20:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 26 ๐Ÿ” 11 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Why did I write about state court pushback to the Dred Scott decision? Because President Trumpโ€™s January 2025 Executive Order directly cited the Dred Scott decision when he took aim at birthright citizenship. And we could see state courts pushback against the Supreme Court again. I'll explain. /1

23.07.2025 20:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 449 ๐Ÿ” 119 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8 ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein Discusses Disability Rights Bernstein, the courtโ€™s first blind justice, travels the world promoting access and equality for disabled people.

NEW: Check out @erings.bsky.social's interview with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, the state's first blind justice, where they discussed his serving as a supreme court justice with a disability, the importance of empathy, advice he wished heโ€™d gotten as a law student, and more.

21.07.2025 19:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The Governmentโ€™s Growing Trove of Social Media Data Itโ€™s increasingly collecting and using social media information to make high-stakes decisions related to immigration.

The U.S. government is building a sweeping digital surveillance dragnet that turns social media into a tool for monitoring, screening, and enforcement. A single post can follow someone from abroad, at the border, and into every stage of life on U.S. soil. 1/9 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

21.07.2025 15:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 80 ๐Ÿ” 52 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5

Today at 3: Watch @brennancenter.org @statecourtreport.bsky.social panel with all-star education experts discussing this case and other Trump administration education actions, and how states can respond. RSVP here: www.brennancenter.org/events/troub...

15.07.2025 13:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 18 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Seems like a good time to mention @brennancenter.org and @statecourtreport.bsky.social are hosting a free virtual event tomorrow on how states are handling the roller coaster of education cuts and changes. Excellent panelists! RSVP here: www.brennancenter.org/events/troub...

14.07.2025 22:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 29 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Wisconsin Justices Appear Hostile to 175-Year-Old Abortion Law The dispute over whether the 1849 law bans nearly all abortions in the state is a sign of a โ€œworld gone mad,โ€ one justice said.

BREAKING: The Wisconsin Supreme Court said today that an 1849 โ€˜zombieโ€™ law does not ban abortions, contrary to arguments by state Republicans. During oral arguments, one justice said attempts to apply the 175-year-old law in the present day was a sign of "a world gone mad."

02.07.2025 13:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 84 ๐Ÿ” 20 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 4

Today SCOTUS limited the scope of court orders (called injunctions) blocking Trumpโ€™s birthright citizenship order. To be clear, Trump's order is plainly unconstitutional & courts continue to have the power to stop its enforcement. /1

27.06.2025 17:17 ๐Ÿ‘ 54 ๐Ÿ” 17 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Thank You for Voting came out five years ago today.

23.06.2025 11:44 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring Trump to return control of the National Guard to CA Governor Newsom. The order is accompanied by a powerful opinion that affirms the rule of law, separation of powers, and the First Amendment. 1/23

13.06.2025 04:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 98 ๐Ÿ” 29 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6

Congrats to the team at Borgo, which is brand new but manages to feel like itโ€™s been open forever. An absolute stand out in NYC.

03.06.2025 14:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Iโ€™ve edited several essays in this series, and itโ€™s fascinating (and fun even) to learn the history and quirks. Montanaโ€™s is/was particularly unique.

02.06.2025 20:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Judge Strikes Down Trump Order Targeting WilmerHale

Breaking News: A judge ruled that President Trumpโ€™s order targeting WilmerHale, a law firm associated with his political opposition, was unconstitutional.

27.05.2025 21:29 ๐Ÿ‘ 683 ๐Ÿ” 133 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 31 ๐Ÿ“Œ 10
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My Father Prosecuted Historyโ€™s Crimes. Then He Died in One.

A beautifully written story of complicated facts and feelings. By @bernstein.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/m...

24.05.2025 16:48 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Law at issue shifts power to appoint elections bd members from gov to state auditor. Justices Earls and Riggs issued sharp dissents. Earls: โ€œNo one calls their accountant to protect their right to vote.โ€ Riggs: Decision โ€œthreatens to erode the integrity of the judicial branch.โ€

24.05.2025 13:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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North Carolina Court Enables a Partisan Shift on State Elections Board The court approved a law to strip the governorโ€™s election board powers, risking creating a precedent for partisan power-grabbing.

On Friday, the NC Supreme Court allowed a major control shift over state election administration to stand, at least for now, despite a trial court finding the change is unconstitutional. @brennancenter.org's Justin Lam explained why this power grab matters. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

24.05.2025 13:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Today @hankjohnson.house.gov introduced the TERM Actโ€”a bill to create 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices. The bottom line is this: no one should hold too much power for too long. 1/

21.05.2025 20:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 161 ๐Ÿ” 43 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

Things I learned: The Ohio Constitution is one of the nationโ€™s oldest, but events in the last few years โ€” repro rights fights, gerrymandering, questionable state supreme court decisions โ€” have kept this 1851 doc in the news cycle.

21.05.2025 18:47 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I wrote about Allison Riggs in my 2020 book Thank You for Voting when she was arguing for votersโ€™ rights at SCOTUS. Five years later, she spent six months demanding votes in her race for NC Supreme Court be counted. She won.

10.05.2025 14:22 ๐Ÿ‘ 138 ๐Ÿ” 23 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1